Lu Htet Naing, Narinjara News, 21 November  2024

The military personnel in the reserved forests near the Arakan Mountains have compelled villagers to act as guards due to concerns about potential infiltration by the Arakan Army (AA) along the Arakan State and Ayeyarwady Region border. 

In November, military columns were sent to the Kyat Paung Reserve Forest, Boe Taw Reserve Forest, and Sat Sar Yan Forest, situated at the base of the Arakan Mountains in Yegyi Township. Also, a man from Yegyi Township reported that junta forces were present within the Kwin Chaung Reserve Forest, situated on the outskirts of the Arakan Mountains in Lemyethna Township, Ayeyarwady Region. 

“The military forces are positioned in the Kyat Paung and Sat Sar Yan forests near the boundary of the Arakan Mountains and Yegyi Town, with troops spread out in the mountains. They can be found in the Boe Taw Reserve Forest as well as the forests located between Gwa and Ayeyarwady. In Chaw Pyar village and certain villages in Thabaung, militias are coercing inhabitants to protect their villages. They are extremely fearful of AA troops entering,”  he said.

The military forces are also using drones to monitor the Arakan Mountains near the border of Ayeyarwady Region and Arakan State. 

             

The military government has instructed multiple villages in Yegyi Township, Ayeyarwady Region, neighboring Gwa Township, along with villages near Lemyethna Township and those adjacent to Hinthada District and Kwin Kauk Township, to evacuate. Furthermore, locals in certain villages have had to select a member from every household to oversee the security of their communities, as reported by residents. 

A woman who trades in Yegyi Town said, “The people from the Arakan Mountains have not visited the town to sell their goods in a while. We are unable to gather resources in the Arakan Mountains now. The junta troops are stationed in that area, and if they spot us, they will detain and search us. We will be queried about our links to Arakan. We have been instructed to protect our ward in the town. I have also been informed that the AA will soon seize power in Gwa, Arakan State, so the military forces are highly active in this area. Certain employees have even relocated from Arakan State to Yegyi.” 

She further stated that the military regime instructed the mandatory departure of multiple communities, such as Saw Pyar and Seint Gyi in Yegyi Township, and Ya Haing Kwin in Gwa Township, beginning on October 21. Some villagers have already shifted, whereas others have not yet found a new place to live. 

The junta has detained multiple individuals from Gwa Township, Arakan State, as they escaped the conflict in Yegyi Township, Ayeyarwady Region.

Junta forces are currently engaged in military activities such as deploying troops, conducting ambush patrols, and increasing checkpoints in villages near the reserve forests in Thabaung, Yegyi, Kyangin, and Manaung townships in Ayeyarwady Region. 

In Arakan State, villagers residing in settlements near the Arakan Mountains were compelled to flee due to increased hostilities between the Arakan Army (AA) and junta forces. 

People living close to the border of Arakan State and Ayeyarwady Region also said they saw junta troops withdrawing with weapons while there was heavy fighting in Gwa Township. 

Due to the conflict, over 100,000 people have fled from Thandwe and Gwa townships to the Ayeyarwady Region and mainland, encountering challenges with their livelihoods and safety.